purgation

The act of purging or purifying.

The act of purging; clearing, cleansing, or purifying by separating and carrying away impurities or whatever is extraneous or superfluous; purification; specifically, evacuation of the intestines by purgatives.

The act of cleansing from the imputation of guilt; specifically, in old law, the clearing of one's self from a crime of which one has been publicly suspected and accused.

The act of purging; the act of clearing, cleansing, or putifying, by separating and carrying off impurities, or whatever is superfluous; the evacuation of the bowels.

The clearing of one's self from a crime of which one was publicly suspected and accused. It was either canonical, which was prescribed by the canon law, the form whereof used in the spiritual court was, that the person suspected take his oath that he was clear of the matter objected against him, and bring his honest neighbors with him to make oath that they believes he swore truly; or vulgar, which was by fire or water ordeal, or by combat. See Ordeal.